Palace: Govt all set for May elections
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 07 May 2019 03:25:16 +0000
THE government is all set for the upcoming midterm elections, Malacañang assured the public on Tuesday, as the May 13 polls are
widely viewed as a referendum for President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
In a statement, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said the government’s preparations were among the agenda of Monday’s Cabinet meeting, which Duterte presided over.
“The Department of Interior and Local Government, along with the Department of National Defense assured that the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are ready to secure the 2019 elections,” Panelo said.
“Security forces are already deployed especially in election hot spots to prevent occurrence of any violence,” he added.
The Palace official also said the Department of Education informed the President that the teachers who would serve on Election Day would receive honoraria and travel allowance.
“Likewise, the Department of Energy affirmed that we have a sufficient supply of power in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” Panelo said.
“For its part, the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) mentioned that its department is expecting a higher voter turnout for Overseas Absentee Voting,” he added.
Duterte is expected to join at least three campaign sorties this week to rally support for his allies during the final stretch of the campaign for the midterm election, Panelo said.
On Tuesday, Duterte is scheduled to attend a campaign rally in Bohol. The two other rallies – in Davao City on Thursday and in Manila on Saturday – would cap the three-month campaign of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and Hugpong ng Pagbabago, the regional party led by presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Panelo, meanwhile, said Duterte was hopeful the administration candidates would win in the midterm elections in order to shepherd his legislative agenda, including federalism.
“Every election to a President means something to him because those who will be elected in the Congress will have to be partners in the administration of the government. Kaya mas maganda ‘yung mga naroroon eh ‘yung tutulong sa kanya (so it will be better if those who will help him will be there),” Panelo said.
“‘Yung inendorse niya, ang feeling niya doon (He feels that the people he endorsed), these are the people who can help me pursue the goal towards uplifting the lives of our countrymen,” he added.
So far, the President has endorsed 11 senatorial candidates, including five aspirants from the PDP-Laban party and six guest candidates.
Hugpong ng Pagbabago party, on the other hand, has endorsed 13 candidates for the 12 posts.
Apart from the 11 administration bets, the party has included three more non-PDP Laban candidates, namely: former Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and former broadcast journalist Rodrigo “Jiggy” Manicad Jr., who has not been publicly endorsed by the President.
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